In the Calm of a Winter's Evening

Hitomi Hyuga

It had always been her favorite time of the day, especially in the winter months. When she and Neji were both home, free from the burden of missions, sitting in their little flat in the Hyuga estate by the fireplace at night. Snow speckled the terrace and the herb garden outside, promising to coat the entire village in a cold, white blanket. The lovebirds, as many of their comrades jokingly called them, were protected from the bitter cold by a roaring fire and hot green tea.

This was no ordinary night by any means. Two stockings, one for each of them, hung on the mantle over the merrily crackling fire. A rich green fir tree stood proudly in the corner of the room, speckled with colored lights and shiny baubles and complete with exquisitely wrapped gifts underneath and a silver star at its peak, and would commemorate the day it would soon be.

It was Christmas Eve, and Tenten certainly had a surprise for Neji.

"I'm glad you're feeling better after this morning," he told her. "I was afraid you'd be sick for Christmas, but it looks like it was just something you ate." Tenten hid her grin. Neji, you're my husband and I love you, but you're very dense sometimes.

"Speaking of this morning, I have something I wanted to ask you," she said, holding his hand, playing with it. Neji looked at her questioningly as he sipped his tea. "Well…" She was searching for the right words. After all, this was a very touchy subject for many couples, and the last thing she wanted was for her partner to faint on Christmas Eve. "What do you, wait, no…er…" Come on, you can ask him a simple question. "Do you like kids, Neji? Damn, that came out wrong…

Neji raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I like kids?" Tenten nodded and braced herself for the most awkward of deadpan answers. "I suppose. I don't mind looking after the children of the clan, especially my nephew." She sighed in relief, remembering spending days with him watching over young Minato Uzumaki, the son of his first cousin. Neji seemed to enjoy spending time with the little tyke, no matter how big a handful he could be. "Why do you ask?" Neji shot her another curious glance, and there was no hiding her grin this time.

"What would you say if we had a kid?" she almost blurted, cringing slightly as she waited for his response

"I don't know," he answered. There's the deadpan… "I never really thought about it." His facial expression indicated that the notion was now completely out of his mind. Tenten fidgeted, trying to come up with a new way to bring the subject back up.

"Oh come on, think about it for a sec," she said, trying to engage him playfully. "You could imagine being a daddy, couldn't you?"

"I suppose I could," he said simply. "Though I don't expect it'll happen to us for several more years."

"But what if it did?" She was almost asking him pleadingly.

"Whatever will be, will be, whether we're parents now or ten years from now." Suddenly, it seemed that the gears in Neji's head were turning and something had just clicked. Neji put his teacup down and faced her. "Is there something you're trying to tell me? Anything I should know?"

She smiled at him. "One thing I'm telling you is that my sickness this morning wasn't food poisoning." His pearly eyes grew wider. "Another thing is that I went to the medic this afternoon while you were busy meditating, and she believes there could be another little Hyuga on the way."

"You're not joking, right?" he asked, eyes still as wide as saucers. She bit her lip and nodded, grinning. "So that means that we're…" His gaze shifted to her abdomen. She nodded again, an excited laugh escaping her lips. Finally, his reaction began to mirror hers. His whole face lit up and he laughed merrily with her. Much to Tenten's surprise, he stood up from the couch and brought her up with him, pulling her into one of the tightest hugs she had ever received. "I'm going to be a father! Wait…I'm going to be a father…" With that, Neji had to sit down, his hand to his forehead. "Tenten, are we ready for this? I mean, I'm a Jonin, and I may very well be an Anbu someday. What if I can't always be around? And you've got ambitions of your own; wouldn't a child slow you down?

"What are you talking about? Naruto and Hinata barely slowed down at all, and Minato's almost two years old," said Tenten, almost a little hurt by Neji's sudden change of heart. "I mean, I guess we'll have to take some time off from missions during the first year or so, but it's not going to hinder us that much. If other shinobi can do it, so can we."

Neji didn't reply; he only looked straight ahead, brow furrowed in worry. Tenten kneeled down in front of him and took his hands. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I was scared, because I am absolutely terrified. I've never been solely responsible for one so helpless before. But if I have to sacrifice my own ambition for that of my child, then I'll take it on like I've never done before. The only question is…will you join in this with me?"

He looked her in the eyes. "Will I be a good father? I'm not the most…approachable man there is, you know?"

She smiled again. "I think you'll make an excellent father. And I'm willing to take on this new adventure even if I have to do it blind. Will you join me?" Neji didn't say anything for a long time, which started to worry her.

Finally, he took a deep breath and squeezed her hands. "The child is mine as well, so I'll be with you every step of the way." He leaned forward and planted a tiny kiss on her belly.

"Only nine more months, little one!" said Tenten, rubbing her abdomen. Neji mimicked her movements, making her giggle. She reclaimed her spot in his arms, where she always wanted to be, and snuggled closer to him to steal a kiss. He gladly submitted to her gentle touch.

"Merry Christmas, Neji."

"Merry Christmas."

"…So do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Whoa now, we're having a baby, let's start with that."

Fin

Hey ya'll. So this is my present for NejiTenPlz's Secret Santa on deviantART (username Ellie-Chibi-Ninja), and I figured "Hey, let's do a little self-bumping and upload it to TWO sites. I'm so clever I could just shit!"

So yeah, here you go. I'm in a bit of a creative rut, so maybe this'll help bring me out.

-H. H.